I’d like to comment on an editorial which appeared last Friday in the Delco Times entitled “Family, education key to Chester’s rebirth”.
Having spent a number of years directing the United Way in the City of Chester, I had the opportunity to meet and work with a number of hard-working dedicated people focused on Chester’s future. Two people with whom I had the pleasure of working and who I consider as friends were mentioned in the article.
Wendell Butler is a lifelong Chester resident, the Republican Mayor of Chester and its former police chief. Being a police officer in a poor neighborhood gives you a very unique view of the impact of poverty and the importance of the family structure. Something I learned as a cop in West Philly in the 70’s.
Portia West, another life-long resident was elected last year to Chester’s City Council as a Democrat, only the 2nd time a group of Democrats held citywide office in Chester since 1906.
Wendell Butler and Portia West are committed professionals focused on Chester’s future. Both see the importance of the family structure, and both agree that if change is going to happen, the home is where it must start. They know that education does not start in first grade, but begins at home when the child is born and continues in the local community as the child matures.
The Mayor and the Councilwoman are part of the bi-partisan political leadership in Chester, but they cannot be expected to have all the answers. They can, however, be instrumental in pulling the city’s power structure together to find the needed help for Chester’s children. With the assistance of community leadership organizations like United Way, they can help the residents of Chester focus on how to surround its children with a community of support, empowering students to stay in school. Chester should be about connecting students and their families to critical community resources that are tailored to their needs, and all designed to prepare its students to succeed.
Friday’s editorial ended with a suggestion that Chester’s recovery will be accomplished one family at a time. With folks like Wendell Butler and Portia West in leadership positions,and with the help of parents like Darlene, Deneen, Karen and Portia; wonderful young men and women like Donald, Darrell and Juani, Tyrone, Portia and Zaakiyah who have graduated Chester High and are doing very well in college, I’m convinced Chester’s resurgence is coming much sooner than most people think.
